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MLB launches postseason campaign

MLB launches postseason campaign

SAN FRANCISCO -- Major League Baseball launched its most ambitious postseason marketing campaign on the eve of Tuesday's annual All-Star Game, this year to be played at AT&T Park.

Teaming with media partners Turner Broadcasting, Fox Sports and MLB.com, MLB has built an inventive interactive campaign entitled, "There's Only One October," featuring actor/comedian Dane Cook. The campaign will highlight some of baseball's most memorable postseason moments, while showcasing today's teams and most promising players as they strive for October immortality.

"There are several firsts here," Tim Brosnan, MLB's executive vice president of business operations said on Monday during a conference call. "One is the joining of MLB with its partners. Two is the timing of this announcement. We've never gone with postseason campaigns as early as we're going here -- the first piece will break [Tuesday] during the All-Star Game. And our user-generated site, actober.com, will launch [Tuesday] as well, so fans can start to generate their own favorite October moments."

The multi-platform campaign will include a traditional tract of numerous spots on Fox and TBS in and out of games, highlighting those great October moments such as Don Larsen's perfect game, Reggie Jackson's three-homer, single-game World Series outburst, Bill Mazeroski's and Joe Carter's World Series-winning homers, and memorable game-winning World Series blasts by Carlton Fisk, Kirk Gibson and Mark McGwire.

But its most inventive component is actober.com, the first user-generated content Web site ever produced by a major professional sports league.

Powered by MLB.com, baseball's official Web site, actober.com will give fans around the world access to the largest archive of MLB footage. Fans can utilize
the vintage footage of those great feats to create their own "actober" moments with the goal of winning tickets to the 2007 World Series.

Thus, fans will be able to tell MLB what moments should be represented in the advertising campaign.

"The campaign is terrific," said David Hill, the chairman of Fox Sports. "I think what's happening with actober.com is a major first and MLB should be applauded for it. It's going to have a far-reaching effect and I can see this being done by sports around the world. It's a wonderful idea."

Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.